Heynckes: Hard to envision Bayern's Bundesliga lead a month ago

The club were trailing by five points after seven games, so a lead at the top of the table is a surprise to the manager

Jupp Heynckes says he could never have believed Bayern Munich would have opened up a four-point lead at the top of the Bundesliga a month ago, as his side outclassed Borussia Dortmund 3-1 in Saturday's Klassiker.

Goals from Arjen Robben, Robert Lewandowski and David Alaba were enough to seal the victory for the champions at Signal Iduna Park in an entertaining contest.

It means Bayern, who appointed Heynckes last month to replace the sacked Carlo Ancelotti, have a four-point lead over RB Leipzig, while Dortmund – who were top by five at the end of match week seven – are six adrift after 11 matches.

"We played outstanding football against a very good team, especially in the first half," he said in quotes reported by Bayern's official website.

"One must also acknowledge that Dortmund had very good chances. But [goalkeeper] Sven Ulreich has kept us in the game.

"The team was 100 per cent motivated, we absolutely wanted to win. A big compliment to my team!